Iceburn / Engine Kid - Split ep

Label: Revelation
Year: 1994

My appreciation of both Iceburn and Engine Kid have been duly noted in previous instances on this very blog. They are both examples of what you may refer to as "my jam".
I will grant you that Iceburn went from hardcore band to monstrous post-hardcore heavyweight band to jazzy heavy improve "collective"...uh, band, and that trajectory shook some of the luster from that glorious mid-period shine. But, I feel their evolution was as natural as any, and certainly afforded an interesting look at where a band can glean more massive sounds from, so I went with it.
On this record Iceburn gives up two renditions of the same song, a take on "Rite Of Spring" from Igor Stravinsky (I've got his first 7"), and pretty similar in ultimate delivery, but you know...here you go. Be forewarned, there is saxophone involved, I want to be straight up with you, but otherwise you get taken on a creepy prowl through the woods where danger comes as crashing bombs of guitar chugging, and a fluttering rhythm attempts to airlift you out of the fray. Both versions of the song are over 10 minutes if that helps you at all.
Engine Kid continue as your guide through an ominous forest fraught with skeletal tree trunks, shadowy predators lurking just out of sight, and a quickly setting sun. The Slint comparisons are becoming more a milemarker and less a direct route as the band gets louder and more overtly "heavy" when they unleash the big dynamic thunder. They were just about to release their Angel Wings lp, and you can definitely hear those same sounds here. Ultimately though, they sound a lot like the band they are sharing this record with, and I'm not entirely sure who's zoomin' who here, but both bands were on a very similar path at this point in their careers.
Post hardcore like this can get pretty pretentious, but so can I, so fuck it, I'm in.

DL